Containment force-based wrapping

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11912445-B2
Application number	US-202218075101-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2022
Priority date	Feb 13, 2013
Publication date	Feb 27, 2024
Grant date	Feb 27, 2024

Abstract

Control of a wrapping apparatus is facilitated by enabling an operator to input a load containment force requirement and/or a minimum number of layers of packaging material to be applied to a load, with a wrap control system automatically determining wrap force and other parameters required to meet user input requirements and/or parameters to minimize the expertise required of an operator and to provide more consistent and reliable wrapping of loads. In addition, a wrapping apparatus may be controlled to apply at least a minimum number of layers of packaging material to a load throughout a contiguous region thereof.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for wrapping a load supported by a load support with packaging material, the apparatus comprising:
a packaging material dispenser for dispensing packaging material to the load, wherein the packaging material dispenser and the load support are adapted for rotation relative to one other; and
a controller configured to receive input data associated with a load containment force requirement to be used when wrapping the load with packaging material, and determine first and second parameters to meet the load containment force requirement associated with the input data based on a packaging material attribute associated with the packaging material, wherein the first parameter is used to control a wrap force to be applied to the load during the relative rotation and the second parameter is used to control a position at which a web of the packaging material engages the load along a direction generally parallel to the axis during the relative rotation such that a sufficient number of layers of packaging material is applied to the load with a sufficient amount of wrap force throughout a contiguous region extending between first and second positions respectively disposed proximate first and second opposing ends of the load to meet the load containment force requirement throughout the contiguous region;
wherein the input data specifies a load containment force to be applied to the load and/or a load attribute associated with the load.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the position at which the web of packaging material engages the load along the direction generally parallel to the axis during the relative rotation between the packaging material dispenser and the load support based on the second parameter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to control the position at which the web of packaging material engages the load by controlling an overlap between successive wraps of the packaging material around the load.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to control the position at which the web of packaging material engages the load by controlling a speed at which the web of packaging material moves along the direction generally parallel to the axis.

5. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to control the position at which the web of packaging material engages the load to provide a substantially consistent number of layers throughout the contiguous region.

6. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the packaging material has a width that is substantially less than a distance between the first and second positions, and wherein the controller is configured to control the position at which the web of packaging material engages the load based on the width of the packaging material.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the axis is vertically oriented, the apparatus further comprising a lift mechanism configured to move a roll carriage of the packaging material dispenser along a substantially vertical axis, wherein the first and second positions are respectively disposed proximate a top and a bottom of the load, and wherein the controller is configured to control the position at which the web of packaging material engages the load by actuating the lift mechanism.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the input data specifies the load containment force to be applied to the load, and wherein the controller is configured to determine the first and second parameters by:
retrieving the packaging material attribute from a database; and
using the retrieved packaging material attribute to determine the first and second parameters.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the first and second parameters by receiving input data associated with one of the first and second parameters and determining therefrom the other of the first and second parameters.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to control the load wrapping apparatus to wrap the load using the first and second parameters such that the load containment force requirement is met when the load is wrapped.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the load containment force requirement defines a minimum load containment force to be applied to the load.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the packaging material attribute comprises an incremental containment force per revolution attribute of the packaging material.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the input data specifies a minimum load containment force.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the input data selects a first wrap profile from among a plurality of stored wrap profiles.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the input data specifies the load attribute associated with the load.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the input data specifies the load attribute by selecting a load type from among a plurality of load types.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of load types include a light stable load type, a moderate stable load type, a moderate unstable load type and a heavy unstable load type, and wherein each of the plurality of load types is associated with a recommended minimum load containment force for the associated load type.

18. A load wrapping apparatus configured to wrap a load with packaging material, the apparatus comprising:
a packaging material dispenser configured to dispense a web of the packaging material;
a rotational drive system that generates relative rotation between the packaging material dispenser and the load about an axis of rotation;
a packaging material drive system that controls a dispense rate of the packaging material dispenser during the relative rotation;
a lift drive system that controls a position at which the packaging material dispensed by the packaging material dispenser contacts the load along a direction generally parallel to the axis of rotation; and
a central processing unit coupled to the rotational drive system, the packaging material drive system and the lift drive system and configured to:
receive input data associated with a load containment force requirement to be used when wrapping the load with packaging material, wherein the input data specifies a load containment force to be applied to the load and/or a load attribute associated with the load;
determine a first parameter and a second parameter from the load containment force requirement and a packaging material attribute associated with the packaging material; and
during the relative rotation generated by the rotational drive system, control the packaging material drive system of the load wrapping apparatus using the first parameter and control the lift drive system of the load wrapping apparatus using the second parameter to cause the packaging material dispenser to apply a sufficient amount of packaging material to the load with a sufficient amount of wrap force throughout a contiguous region extending between first and second positions respectively disposed proximate first and second opposing ends of the load to meet the load containment force requirement throughout the contiguous region.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the controller is configured to control the lift drive system by controlling an overlap between successive wraps of the packaging material around the load.

20. The apparatus of claim 18 , wherein the controller is configured to control the

Assignees

• Lantech Com Llc

Inventors

• Lancaster Iii Patrick R
• Mitchell Michael P

Classifications

• B65B11/58 Primary

  Applying two or more wrappers, e.g. in succession · CPC title

• B65B11/00

  Wrapping, e.g. partially or wholly enclosing, articles or quantities of material, in strips, sheets or blanks, of flexible material (bundling articles by applying narrow strips or bands of flexible material B65B13/00) · CPC title

• B65B11/008

  by webs revolving around articles moved along the axis of revolution · CPC title

• B65B11/025

  by webs revolving around stationary articles · CPC title

• B65B11/045

  by rotating platforms supporting the articles · CPC title